'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness': Disney+ release date, plot and end-credits

The film is the second standalone story for Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr Stephen Strange

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  Benedict Cumberbatch plays Dr Strange in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'. All photos: Marvel Studios

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  Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'.

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  'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' came out in cinemas in May.

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  The film follows the events of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'.

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  The film is the 28th in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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  The new Marvel film is a sequel to 2016's 'Doctor Strange'.

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  'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' is part of phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Eager Marvel fans will likely have already watched Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after it was released in cinemas globally in May. However, from today, June 22, the film is available to watch on Disney+. It is expected to land on the streaming service at 11am GST.

The film, which blends universes in a way that hasn’t been seen since Avengers: Endgame, takes plot lines from Loki, WandaVision, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as involving other characters from the X-Men universe.

Here is everything you need to know about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The plot

The film will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will see Dr Strange continue his research on the Time Stone. However, when Strange casts a forbidden spell, he accidentally opens the doorway to the multiverse, and unleashes evil. Faced with old enemies and new foes, Strange will be forced to break the very seams of reality in order to save it.

The cast

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dr Strange in 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'. Reuters

Benedict Cumberbatch returns as Dr Strange, alongside Benedict Wong as Wong, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, reprising their roles from the 2016 film.

Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff will make her first appearance in Doctor Strange, and promises to be central to the storyline. She’ll be joined by MCU newcomer Xochitl Gomez, although little is known about her character. It has also been reported that Jett Klyne and Julian Hilliard, who played Wanda’s twin sons Billy and Tommy in WandaVision, will make an appearance.

Fans also have a theory that a veteran X-Men character could make an appearance, after a familiar voice featured in the trailer.

Although a face is never seen, the voice says: “We should tell him the truth”, and sounds awfully like Patrick Stewart, who played Charles Xavier aka Professor X, in the X-Men franchise.

Release date

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had its global release on May 6. The film was initially due for release on May 7, 2021, but was delayed because of the pandemic. It was pushed back to November 2021 initially, before being pushed back further to next month.

End-credits scenes

The latest Doctor Strange instalment features both a mid-credits and post-credits scene, offering a glimpse at what fans can expect from the MCU in the future.

In the scene that plays out mid-credits, Doctor Strange is walking down a street in New York City when a portal opens up that leads to the dark dimension that held Dormammu in the first Doctor Strange film released in 2016. A woman (Charlize Theron) then appears and then tells Strange that her universe needs his help once again. Strange jumps into the dimension with her, suggesting the pair will feature together in a later film.

The final end-credits scene is more of a light-hearted moment, as opposed to offering any insight into the future of Doctor Strange’s character.

In the film, Strange has an altercation with a character called Pizza Poppa (Bruce Campbell), while in an alternate universe. The disagreement came after America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) steals pizza balls from Pizza Poppa’s vendor, and Doctor Strange steps in to stop him confronting her, by putting a spell on him, which leads him to spray mustard on his own face and punch himself repeatedly. As the pair leave, Strange tells Chavez the spell will last three weeks.

In the end-credits scene, we return to an exhausted Pizza Poppa, who is still punching himself in the face. Finally, as the spell starts to wear off, Pizza Poppa looks into the camera and, fittingly says, "It’s over”.

Watch the latest trailer for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’:

— This story was originally published on April 7, 2022